


Little Bit of Darts and Berries

by memoriesaremine



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, StarKid Productions RPF, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid, What Remains of Edith Finch (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Kidnapping, Kinda, Multi, absolutely - Freeform, all the family feels, are we gonna talk about it?, did i steal the name of the fictional city from game of thrones?, ethan green is a good big brother, ethan really just wanted to take a nap, no, noel and ethan admit you're bffs challenge, nothing bad happens because its all in their IMAGINATIONS, very loose interpretation of any plot of these things whatsoever but its fine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:29:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25582894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memoriesaremine/pseuds/memoriesaremine
Summary: Noel and Ethan are in for a very interesting afternoon when Noel's cousin, Milton Finch, leads them through a door on an adventure to take down the notorious Hook Handed Man, with the help of some familiar faces along the way
Relationships: Ethan Green & Milton Finch, Milton Finch & Noel, Noel (OC) & Ethan Green
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Little Bit of Darts and Berries

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is very big brain, kudos to Kat because this was so much fun to write ngl 
> 
> Also if you've never played/watched What Remains of Edith Finch? please go do it, it's very very good but you don't need to know ANY of the plot to understand this really 
> 
> ALSO ALSO for those who don't know Noel is Becky's daughter and Kat's OC, and bears no relation to Noelle of Santa Claus is Going to High School. They are two separate individuals

“Milton?” Noel asked, slowly pushing the door open to the castle that served as Milton’s bedroom/art studio. He spent all his time in here. “You in here?” She loved annoying her step-cousin. Becky had married into the Finch-Houston family, giving Noel a plethora of new family members. Great Uncle Walter, Lewis, and Milton, to name a few. Milton was the same age as Hannah and Tim: nine, and he was quiet and artistic. He was very close to Hannah, but Noel loved getting to unwind with him. He found beauty in even the most mundane things and his art could bring entire worlds to life. He was extremely imaginative, incorporating childlike wonder into everyday occurrences.

“Yeah,” Milton called back. Noel grinned and used the rope elevator to pull herself up to his painting area. Edie, his great-grandmother, had built him a castle when he, his mother, and his siblings moved back in with her after their father passed away. 

“Hey,” She grinned. “We’re over for the afternoon. We brought Banana and Tim.”

“Awesome,” Milton said, coming out from behind a stack of papers. “Cool. You wanna see this thing I’m working on?” 

“Hell yeah,” Noel grinned. “Let me see. You’ve got paint on your cheek.” She reached out to smudge it away. She and Milton had been close since they’d met. He wasn’t as out-there as Lewis, but he wasn’t as blunt as Edith. A nice middle.

“Okay,” Milton said, gesturing for her to follow. “C’mon. It’s back here.” She followed him towards the back of his castle. It was stained with paints of a million different colors, black paint scattered among the white walls. Milton tossed aside half a dozen sheaths of paper, before he triumphantly held up what he was looking for. 

“Here it is,” he said. “Look.” 

Noel gazed at the pages, transfixed. A town was painted before her, black buildings against a white background. It was beautiful. Much better than anything she could ever done.

“Milton, have I ever expressed how talented I think you are?” Noel said after moments of just taking in his artwork.

“Thanks,” Milton said, blushing. “It’s not done yet, but….” 

“It’s still amazing,” Noel reassured him. “And it’ll be amazing when you finish too.” She smiled at him. “Anyways, I got fed up with hanging with Lewis and Lexie, so I came up here to see you.”

“Where’s E?” Milton asked. “He said he’d come see my book, and the door to the other world I drew.”

“He was hanging out with Tim, who’s with Uncle Calvin,” She shrugged. “He said he’d come on up once Tim is bored of space stuff.” She perked up. “Can I see the other world?”

“Sure,” He nodded. Noel smiled as she looked through more papers and canvases.

“The door’s over here,” Milton said. “On the wall.” 

“Oh,” Noel said, turning towards him. “Right.” She turned to the door on the wall. “Oh, Milton…”

“This is the door to King’s Landing,” Milton said. “I’ll tell you all about it when Ethan comes up.” 

“Can we, like, actually go through?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Milton said with an enthusiastic nod as Noel heard the door open and Ethan called up. 

“Hey, guys, you up here?” 

“Yeah!” Noel lowered the elevator. In a minute, Ethan appeared, ducking his head so he wouldn’t hit it on the frame. 

“Ethan!” Milton cheered. 

“Hey, kiddo,” He grinned, ruffling his hair. “What’s up?”

“We’re gonna go on an adventure!” Milton said excitedly. 

“An adventure, huh?” Ethan asked, grinning down at him. “Where are we gonna go?” 

“King’s Landing,” Milton said. “Through the door.” He pointed to his painted door. “Me, you, and Ellie. Can we go?”

“Only if we’re back in time for dinner. Your mom’s making dinner.” Ethan said. “Milton, is this adventure gonna be dangerous?” 

“Uh-huh,” Milton said with a grin. “But I got my magic paintbrush.” 

“Do we get anything magic?” Noel asked, putting her hair up. 

“I mean, we can find stuff,” Milton said with a shrug. “You guys ready?” 

“I am if you are, E.” 

“Let’s do it,” Ethan said with a grin. “Lead the way, Milton.” He made a grand gesture and Milton grinned, hopping up and down in excitement before leading his cousins through the door. 

They pushed their way out of the door and into a medieval looking city, complete with castles. They were still dressed in their modern clothes, but no one seemed to notice. The castles were white and looked like they’d been drawn with a black Sharpie outline, like the final draft of an art-class drawing before you colored it in. Milton grinned at them.

“Welcome to King’s Landing!” Milton said cheerfully. “Isn’t it cool!” 

“It is, have you been here before?” Noel asked, pulling her flannel around her tighter. 

“Yeah,” Milton said. He lowered his voice. “We better get somewhere safe before it gets dark. It’s gonna storm here, and that’s when the Hook Handed Man comes, and we don’t wanna meet him.” 

“Doesn’t sound too pleasant, lead the way, Milton,” Ethan said, glancing at Noel. Whatever was going on, neither of them understood, but Milton did so they let him lead.

“We’re gonna go see Molly!” Milton said. “She’ll give us stuff that’ll keep us safe. We can sneak right past the Hook Handed Man and we won’t get caught! We don’t wanna get caught.” 

“Molly?” Noel tilted her head. 

“Yeah, like Aunt Molly!” Milton explained. “She lives here. With Uncle Walter and Aunt Barbara and everyone!” 

“Oh,” Ethan nodded. “Cool. We can meet the ones we haven’t met.” He followed Milton to a cafe, bright and colorful against the Black and White drawings. He opened the door, revealing a just as colorful inside with paintings of sharks and whales across the back wall.

“Aunt Molly, Aunt Molly!” Milton called, skipping through tables of patrons to the woman behind the counter. The woman turned, blonde curls pinned back into an updo Noel could vaguely understand was a 1950s style.

“Hiya, kiddo,” Molly said from behind the counter. “What’s going on?”

“E, Ellie,” Milton said. “This is Aunt Molly! Aunt Molly, this is Noel and Ethan. They’re really cool, and they’re gonna help me!” 

“I’m Tom’s stepdaughter, I don’t know if you met him?” Noel furrowed her eyebrows.

“I didn’t get the chance,” Molly said regretfully. “But Milton told me all about him, he sounds lovely.” 

“Oh,” Noel bit her lip. “He is, he’s a wonderful stepdad. And Ethan’s my stepsister’s boyfriend.” She smiled at him. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Aunt Molly.”

“It’s nice to meet you, both of you,” Molly said. “So, you’re going to help Milton, huh? He’s been talking about taking down the Hook Handed Man for a long time, but I told him to get the bravest people he knew to come along.” 

“You think we’re brave, buddy?” Noel asked, putting her arm around him. 

“Yeah!” Milton said. Then he went over to Ethan and whispered very loudly in his ear. “I think it’s just you but I felt bad about not bringing Noel.” 

Ethan laughed. “Maybe, buddy, but Noel’s gonna save my butt at some point. She’s pretty brave too, you know.” 

“Sure,” Milton smiled as the door opened and a blonde woman came out from behind it. Noel recognized her.

“Aunt Barbara!” Milton jumped away from Ethan. “Aunt Barbara! I found people to help me get rid of the Hook Handed Man!”

“Did you now?” Barbara said, coming around the corner with a tray balanced on her arm. 

“Yeah!” Milton nodded as Noel gasped. She didn’t realize that the Barbara Finch in the family tree, was the Barbara Finch of the movies. She’d grown up on her films, and had absolutely idolized her as a small girl. Tom had shown her a lot of the movies. 

“Holy shit, this is Aunt Barbara?” She gasped a bit. 

“Yeah!” Milton nodded. “She was a movie star!” 

“I...woah, I didn’t put two and two together, I...woah.” Noel grinned. “You’re, like, Barbara Finch, the actress…”

“That’s me!” Barbara said cheerfully, setting the food down on a table before turning to the trio and dusting off her hands. 

“Oh, wowie,” Noel shook her hands out. “I’m Noel, this is Ethan, you know Milton.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Barbara said. She grinned down at Milton. “Seems like you’ve got a good team to fight off the Hook Handed Man. Now, do they know what you all have to do?” 

“Not at all,” Ethan shook his head.

“All right,” Barbara said, gesturing to a table. “Sit down, you guys, and I’ll tell you where to find the Hook Handed Man.” 

“Can I have a milkshake? Please?” Milton asked, his eyes wide.

“Sure, kiddo,” Barbara said, ruffling his hair. “While Molly makes it, I’ll tell you what to do, yeah? Noel and Ethan shouldn’t charge in blind.” 

“Okay,” Milton said as all three settled in at the table. Barbara joined them, gesturing for them all to lean in close. 

“Alright, now,” Barbara said, looking around nervously. “We gotta talk quietly because the Hook Handed Man has informants, and if he finds out you all are coming to get him…” Barbara shuddered. “Well, it wouldn’t be good. So, we’ll talk quietly. Lucky for us, we know exactly where his hideout is. It’s in the old manor, up on the hill. That’s where he takes his victims. What happens to them there….well….no one really knows. But they’re never seen again.” 

“But we can get him,” Milton said. “Ellie and E are the bravest people I know, Auntie Barbara.”

“Well, that’s good,” Barbara said with a smile. “You’re gonna need brave people. Now, when you get in the mansion, you have to hide. That’s important. If you get caught, it’s all over. He prowls the house every day, he’s real scared someone will sneak in and get him. What’d you bring for stuff to fight him with?”

“We got the magic paintbrush,” Milton announced proudly, then looked around and lowered his voice. “I mean, we got the magic paintbrush.” 

“You see, we didn’t know we were coming here until we were already going,” Ethan laughed a bit. “So…” 

“Don’t you worry,” Barbara said with a smile. “Molly and I got some stuff for you two. Can’t have you go there with nothing to defend yourselves, now can we? Are you three hungry? Can’t have you fighting on an empty stomach.” 

“Don’t worry, Auntie Barbara,” Milton piped up. “We got dinner waiting for us when we get back. We can just all have milkshakes! Those are the best for a fight, anyway!” 

“I would beg to differ,” Ethan grinned. “But, a milkshake sounds great.”

“Three milkshakes, coming right up!” Barbara said cheerfully. “And i’ll go get you some things to help you on your way, yeah?” 

“Thanks, Auntie Barbara,” Noel said softly. She was still a little starstruck. 

“It’s nothing, sweetie. You’re doing us all a favor taking down the Hook Handed Man,” Barbara said with her signature winning smile. 

“Why’s he so bad anyway?” Ethan leaned back in his chair. “Mr. Artist over here didn’t tell us.”

“Well, for starters, he likes killing people,” Barbara said. 

“I got that,” Ethan said.

“But it’s not just that,” Barbara continued. “He’s the, ah, unofficial royal executioner. Any enemies of the King in these parts. He makes them, well, disappear. And the few bodies we do find are….well, it’s clear they suffered before they died. And his pockets get fuller every time.” 

“Christ,” Noel murmured. “Sounds like a real peach.” She said sarcastically.

“Not the nicest guy,” Barbara agreed, keeping her voice low. “We have to be careful. His informants could be anywhere.” 

“And I’d rather not kill anyone in the family.” Noel glanced back at Molly. “So you all live here?”

“We do,” Barbara said. “It’s not a bad place to live. Could be worse, I just wish we had a better ruler.” 

“Who rules now?”

“Well, we….don’t actually know his name,” Barbara admitted. “We just call him ‘The Unnamed King.” 

“Spooky,” Ethan said. Noel nudged him as Molly brought the milkshakes over.

“I can give Walter a call to run the train for them,” She said. “How does that sound?”

“That’d make it easier for them to get up there,” Molly said. “But, you have to be careful cutting through the graveyard, okay? It’s dangerous.” 

“Okay,” Noel said, letting out a breath. The name clicked in her head. “Walter? Like, Great Uncle Walter?” 

“That’s him,” Barbara agreed. “He runs the trains here now, the Hook Handed Man employs him, and he does it to sneak out information. He could take you three up there, no sweat. He’s got a run tonight.” 

“I haven’t seen him in years,” Noel said, looking at her hands. “God, I miss him so much...I can see him here?” She told herself she wasn’t going to get emotional.

“You sure can, kid,” Barbara said as Molly came over with the milkshakes. 

“Really?” She couldn’t stop the smile. “Oh, Milton, can we take the train, please?”

“We’re gonna take the train,” Milton assured her. “Aunt Molly, can we have the special berries, please? They’ll help!” 

“After you finish your milkshakes,” Molly ruffled his hair. “Drink up, kids.”

None of them argued. The milkshakes were good. Barbara ducked into the back to make the call to Walter and Molly continued to cook for the patrons of the cafe. Finally, Barbara reemerged with a bag of berries and a kind smile.

“The train’ll be waiting at the station for you,” she told them. “Now for the berries. They have a special property that’ll help you. If you eat them, you can change your shape into any animal. But only for five minutes, so you have to watch your timing.” 

“Any animal?” Ethan asked, taking the bag. 

“Yep,” Barbara said with a grin. 

“Thanks,” Noel said, putting it in her bag. She’d never taken her bag off when they got to the large Finch house. “We’ll be sure to use them.”

“Thank you, Aunt Barbara,” Milton said, hugging her. “I’ll come back and visit you soon.” 

“Of course, kiddo. Tell Great-Gramma we say hello.” She kissed the top of his head. “And tell Hannah she’s welcome back any time for a snack and a chat.”

“I will!” Milton said cheerfully. “I’ll bring her along next time.” He smiled up at Noel and Ethan. “Let’s go!”

“Let’s go,” Ethan said, pocketing the berries Noel slipped him. Milton led them out to the train station, holding their hands. Noel saw the man in the driver’s seat and she felt herself getting a little emotional. Walter had been the first Finch she had met after Edie, and she immediately took to him. He read her all the classic books and let her hide in his childhood bedroom for as long as she wanted. She missed him all the time.

“Uncle Walter?” Milton said quietly. “We’re here.” He blinked before regaining his usual energy. “Did Aunt Barbara tell you about who’s here?”

“She did,” Walter said. He hopped down from the driver’s seat and held his arms out for Noel. “Hello, dear.” 

“Uncle Walter,” Noel hugged him tightly, burying her head in his shoulder. He had always been short, but he was still taller than her. “Hi.”

“I’ve missed you, Noel.” Walter held her close, rubbing a hand up and down her back, like he used to do when she was small. 

“I miss you,” Noel said. “A lot.” She smiled a bit, then began to grin. “I didn’t pick up on the fact you were here the first time Milton said it, but then Aunt Molly said it and…I figured it out.” She looked at Ethan. “Oh, UNcle Walter, you remember Lexie? This is Ethan, her boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Ethan,” Walter said, smiling and shaking Ethan’s outstretched hand. 

“You as well,” Ethan smiled. “Noel talks lots about you.”

“Well, if we’re going to get you all up to the house, we’d better get going.” Walter stretched. “Noel, would you like to ride up front with me?” 

“Yes!” Noel nodded enthusiastically.

“Let’s go then,” Walter said, helping Noel up into the front of the train. Milton and Ethan climbed into one of the cars, Milton clutching his magic paintbrush tightly. Ethan sat down in one of the seats of the train, and Milton sat across from him. Noel was talking Walter’s ear off and Ethan could vaguely hear it.

“Hey, Milton,” He said. “I have an idea.”

“What’s your idea?” Milton asked. “Is it about how to defeat the Hook Handed Man?” 

“Yeah,” Ethan said. “Sorta.” 

“Tell me,” Milton said, twiddling the paintbrush.

“Well,” Ethan whispered. “I think the best way to lure the Hook Handed Man out is to use one of us as bait. He likes catching his victims, right? Well, I figure if he goes after me, Ellie can help me and then you can draw something that can destroy him. You’ll have time. Ellie reacts quickly, but it'll take her a bit.” 

“Uh….” Milton said. “Ethan, are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, Ellie’s great and all, but…” 

“It’ll work,” Ethan said. “But don’t tell Ellie. She won’t like the plan.” 

“If you say so,” Milton said with a shrug. “I won’t tell Ellie.” 

“So, that would be a good plan, right?” Ethan asked.

“I mean….Ellie’s not the most brave person in the world…” Milton looked uncertain. “Are you sure she’s gonna be able to save you?” 

“I think she’s pretty brave, Milton,” Ethan said, “And I think she can do it. We just have to get it out of her.”

“Okay,” Milton said. “Let’s do it. Maybe it’ll work.” 

“I think it will,” He nodded. 

“We’re almost there. Not far now.” Milton glanced up out the window and pointed. “Look. There’s the house. Just there.” 

“It looks awful spooky,” Ethan nodded. He could still hear Noel chatting with Walter.

“It’s even worse inside,” Milton shuddered. “Like home, but scarier.”

“Great,” Ethan said, shifting a bit in his seat. “You know your way around it?”

“Mostly,” Milton said. “There are some things that are...different. There’s a door in the cellar I’ve never seen before. Plus, there’s the Hook Handed Man, so that makes things hard too.” 

“We’ll get rid of him,” Ethan assured him. “Ellie, you and me. We make a good team.” 

“We do,” Milton agreed. “I hope Ellie likes seeing Uncle Walter.”

“I think she does,” Ethan said. “She likes it a lot, I think.” 

“I thought so,” Milton said with a satisfied nod. “Uncle Walter said he missed her.”

“He did,” Ethan agreed. “And Ellie missed him. She told me a lot about him when we were talking.” 

“Really?” Milton asked.

“Really,” Ethan said. “They were really close when Ellie was little. She missed him a lot.” 

“I ddn’t know that, Mom didn’t say anything about Ellie and him,” Milton crossed his arms.

“Well, your mom doesn't’ like talking about your relatives much, you know that,” Ethan said with a shrug. 

“I know,” He mumbled. “I didn’t even know about Lexie and Hannah and Tim and Ellie for forever. Only when Uncle Tom came with Auntie Becky. Mom and Uncle Tom didn’t talk much for a while, I remember. Uncle Tom’s cool though.”

“He is, isn't he?” Ethan smiled at him. “I’ve known Lexie and Ellie since they came to high school.”

“And you live in their house now, right?” Milton asked, tilting his head. 

“Mhm,” Ethan replied. 

“I wish I lived with you guys, it seems cool.” He looked down at the paintbrush. “It’s not that I don’t love Great-Gramma, it’s just…”

“It can get to be a little much sometimes?” Ethan finished. “I’m sure. But I’ll tell you what, you can come over to Tom and Becky’s and hang out with us any time you want, okay?” 

“Really?”

“Ellie and I will drive you, gladly,” He leaned over and ruffled his hair as the train halted to a stop.

“Thanks, E,” Milton said, giving him a hug. “Please don’t die.” 

“I won’t,” Ethan chuckled. “I promise.” 

They rejoined Noel at the station about a quarter mile from the house. She looked a lot more relaxed than she had before. She smiled at Milton and plopped a few berries into a plastic baggie from the bag, putting it in his pocket.

“Some for you,” Noel said, pouring more into another plastic bag. “And some for E. I’ll feel better if we all have some.” 

“Thanks, Ellie.” He said and put the bag in his jacket. “Alright, we ready?” 

“I think so,” Noel nodded.

“Yeah,” Milton agreed. “Let’s do this.” He held his paintbrush tightly in his hand. Ethan nodded and they began the walk to the manor.

The manor looked like a more orderly Finch house. The tower that resembled the extension for Milton, Lewis, and Edith Jr. looked much different than it did in the real world. Milton’s hand tightened on Noel’s.

“It’ll be okay,” Noel said, cautiously pushing open the front door. “We’ve got our magic stuff, and we’re gonna take down the Hook Handed Man.” The door creaked open, and they couldn’t see anybody. The same entryway of the Finch house was in front of them, stairs and everything. 

“Let’s go upstairs,” Noel whispered. “Good places to hide there. Molly said we should hide, remember?” 

“Yeah,” Milton nodded, still clutching her hand when they climbed the stairs until he let go. Noel moved a little too fast, going forward and almost falling through the gap in the railing that hadn’t been fixed in this version of the house. Ethan grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

“You okay?” He whispered. 

“Yeah,” She nodded, shaking her hands out. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Ethan said, breathing a sigh of relief. He didn’t need Noel falling to her death. That would put a damper on the adventure, plus how would he explain it to Becky? They had enough problems to worry about, what with the Hook Handed Man apparently on the prowl. Milton held her hand again, gripping it tightly.

“Let’s hide,” he whispered. “Hurry.” 

They ducked into what would’ve been Walter’s room, Noel pressed herself behind the door, pulling Milton next to her. Ethan slid in and pressed himself against the other wall, so anyone coming in the door couldn’t see him. 

“Ethan, that’s a bad hiding spot,” Noel chided. 

“Shh,” Ethan put a finger to his lips. “I hear something.” 

Noel immediately fell silent. Milton held his breath, sandwiched in with Ellie.

Then she heard it. The creak of feet on the steps, slowly coming towards them. Noel tensed. If he came in here, he’d find them. 

“I’ll distract him,” Ethan whispered. “Buy you time, Milton. Ellie, if something happens…” 

He stopped and slipped out the door before Noel could stop him. She cursed silently, calling Ethan some very creative names, like ‘fucking idiot.’ Milton put his finger on her lips to shush her.

“Hey!” She heard Ethan call from somewhere away from them. “Over here!” 

The creaks on the floor stopped, then began to retreat towards Ethan’s voice. Slow, and deliberate. Noel whimpered and closed her eyes, staying as still as she could. 

Her eyes snapped open when she heard Ethan cry out for help, a cry that was abruptly silenced, followed by what sounded like a struggle. She had half the mind to actually break away and fight, but Milton was right there.

“Ellie,” Milton whispered. “Can you move a little? I’m trying to draw.” 

Outside the door, the scuffle stopped, and Noel heard the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor. She ventured the slightest glance through the door and her breath caught in her throat. 

The Hook Handed Man passed right by them. Noel couldn’t see his face, it was obscured by the high collar of his jacket and the hat he wore over his head. But she could see the wicked hook that replaced his right hand. He could have looked up and seen them, but he seemed much more interested in his other prey. He sneered down at the unconscious Ethan, who he was dragging by the arms. He passed Walter’s room without so much as a glance in their direction and pulled Ethan into another room, one that Noel recognized led to the other parts of the house. All she could do was watch in horror as they disappeared through the door and out of sight. 

“Oh my God,” Noel said, sucking in a shaky breath. “Milton, he’s got Ethan. He needs our help. We have to go.” 

“Ellie, I gotta finish,” Milton said, gesturing to the piece of paper he painted on. “You can help Ethan. I’ll meet you there, promise. Now that he has Ethan he won’t prowl the house anymore, I don't think.” 

“Milton, I…” Noel swallowed. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Milton said with a look up at her. “Ethan thought you could do it. Be brave and help him and stuff.” 

“I’m not brave,” Noel mumbled. “I’m not.”

“Well, you were brave enough to come on the adventure,” Milton said with a shrug. “Weren’t you? Ethan’s in trouble. He needs you, Ellie.” 

“I…..” Noel stared down at the floor. How was she, Noel Barnes, a person whose only superpower was crippling anxiety, supposed to save Ethan, who had his shit together more than she did, despite his circumstances. But he needed her now, and Noel would help him, if she could. “Okay. Yeah. I’ll do it.” She didn’t know what she would do, but she could figure it out. She could do some problem solving. It was like a word problem in math. She could do those. “Milton, stay here. If he comes back, hide. I’ll be back as soon as I can with Ethan.” 

Milton nodded, intensely focused on his task. “Go.” She slipped out of their hiding spot and began walking in the direction she’d heard the Hook Handed Man go. She stayed as quiet as she could, in case the Hook Handed Man was prowling around, looking for more victims. She hoped Ethan was okay. She didn’t know what she’d do if he’d been hurt. How would she tell Lex and Hannah? How could she live with herself? She probably couldn’t.

She pushed open the door to Barbara’s room, looking around. It was still the same Hollywood-esque room she’d seen in photos. There was no sign of the Hook Handed Man except a mannequin with a waitress costume that had been knocked over and slashed. Noel recoiled at the pristine-looking leather jacket draped on the shoulders of said mannequin, as if it had been placed there after it had been knocked over. It didn’t seem damaged at all, but it was obviously left as a message, which meant one thing. The Hook Handed Man knew they were there. He wouldn’t have left Ethan’s jacket otherwise. 

She pushed the lid off of the costume box she knew led to a passageway that would take her into Sam and Calvin’s room. She crawled along it, pushing up the secret door and closing it behind her. She pushed the swivel chair away, rolling it towards the side of the room.

She stayed hidden in Calvin’s fort, waiting for a telltale sign that the Hook Handed Man and Ethan were here. She didn’t have to wait long. 

“Where are they?” The Hook Handed Man’s low, menacing voice carried through the room. It came from the other fort. Sam’s, she remembered. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ethan’s voice responded, which at least meant he was alive. 

“Yes you do,” The man taunted. “Where are Milton and the girl?” She was thankful he didn’t know her name.

“I’m not telling you anything,” Ethan snapped. “They’re coming for your ass, you’ll see.” 

“Not while I have you, they’re not,” The Hook Handed Man replied with a cold laugh. “They’ll be dead before they can get to you.” Noel looked down at her drawstring that’d carried over into this world with her. She had to have something in there. She moved as quietly as she could and looked through it. A black pen sat in there. She could attempt a darts-esque move, but it was risky with the Hook Handed Man that close to Ethan.

She wasn’t sure she had any other choice, though. She peeked her eyes over the top of the fort, glancing at him. She held the pen in her hand, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“If you won’t tell me willingly,” The Hook Handed Man said. “I have ways of making you talk.” 

Noel raised the pen and sent it across the room, ducking down immediately. She didn’t hear a familiar “thunk” against the wood. Instead, she heard a pretty angry scowl. 

“Ellie?” Ethan’s voice came from the fort. Then his voice changed to alarm. “Ellie, run! Quick!” 

She scrambled for another pen in her bag, pushing aside the berries. She paused. The berries. Five minutes of another animal. She took one and shoved it down her throat, scowling at the bitter taste before she hoped it’d turn her into a cat.

Ethan was more than surprised to see a white and brown cat rub itself against the Hook Handed Man’s legs. It looked a lot like Beanie, Noel’s cat. Then, he finally remembered the berries. Noel had the bag of berries. The Hook Handed Man was more concerned with the pen lodged deep in his arm than Ethan at the moment. He’d been working to loosen the ties that bound him to one of the legs of Sam’s bed, and if he was quick, he could probably free himself enough to take one of his own. 

The cat jumped up onto the bed and crossed over to the ties, beginning to nudge them up and up, as quick as it could. Ethan tried to help her, as best he could in his position. Finally the ties slipped away and he grabbed for a berry, before realizing that they were in his jacket, which the Hook Handed Man must’ve taken off him while he was asleep. The cat jetted back up to the fort and Ethan didn’t see it return, but Noel’s head popped over the wall and landed another pen on the Hooked Hand Man’s shoulder. She motioned for Ethan to slip into the passageway, climbing back down from the fort. She threw one more pen at the man for good measure.

The Hook Handed Man tried to grab for Ethan, but in his haze of rage and pain, Ethan was able to dodge him and dove for the tunnel with Noel. Noel joined him, pulling him through to Barbara’s room and climbing out of the costume box, tumbling over the side when her foot got stuck. She hopped up with his jacket in hand, pulling him out and slamming the lid onto the costume box.

“Hi,” she said, out of breath but smiling. “Holy shit. E, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” He said. “Milton?”

“Let’s find him and get the fuck out. Those pens could hypothetically be magic.” She shrugged, “I grabbed them off Great-Gramma Edie’s desk in the library last weekend.”

“Yeah,” Ethan said with a nod. “Sounds good.” He opened the door and walked right back to Walter’s room, taking Noel with him.

“Milton?” Noel asked quietly. “Where are you?”

“Still here,” Milton whispered back. “We’re ready. I’ve got what we need.” 

“Let it out, kiddo,” Ethan said. Milton grinned before laying the paper down and drawing, on the back of it, a king’s crown with a mustache. Then, the paper dissolved into rainbow sparkles and three knights with yellow plumes appeared in its place.

“They’ll take it from here,” Milton said. “Let’s go.” He felt along the window for the lock, unlocking it and opening it so they could land on the roof of the porch. Ethan went down first, then Noel, and then she caught Milton when he came down. The train was still waiting for them. 

“Uncle Walter,” Noel said, tapping on the door. “We’re back.”

“Did you do it?” Walter asked, his eyes glittering with excitement. 

“The knights’ll do it,” Milton replied, wiping yellow paint from his cheek. “I made good knights with my magic paintbrush.”

“Good,” Walter said with a satisfied nod. “Well done, all of you. You’ve done King’s Landing a great service.” 

“Ellie did the biggest favor,” Ethan wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “She’s the one that got him.”

“She really did it?” Milton said, turning to her. “Like, really?” 

“She had these magic pens from Edie’s library, she got him so I’d be alright. I didn’t think you could play darts, Ellie.”

“I’ve had a little practice,” She blushed at all the praise. 

“Wow,” Milton said. “Ethan, you were right! Ellie is brave.” 

“You called me brave?” She looked up at Ethan.

“Mhm,” Ethan said with a smile. “I told Milton you’d save my ass.” 

“Thanks, Ethan,” She said softly. “Are we headed home now? Auntie Dawn’s making dinner.”

“I think so,” Ethan said. “Wouldn’t want to miss that. Fighting a psychopathic Hook Handed villain made me hungry.” 

“You guys are welcome in King’s Landing anytime,” Walter smiled at them. “I’ll drop you back at the door, Milton?”

“Yeah,” Milton nodded. He escaped into a train car and Ethan followed after him, leaving Noel with Walter. She turned to her favorite Finch and smiled bashfully, happy to have finally done something.

“You did good, Noel,” Walter said, squeezing her shoulder. 

“Thanks, Uncle Walter,” She said softly. “It was just a little bit of darts and berries.”

Uncle Walter opened his mouth to say something, but out of his mouth came Becky’s voice calling “Dinnertime!” 

“Coming!” Milton said, snapping them out of their adventure. The vision of the train disappeared and they were in Milton’s castle again. Noel helped lower the elevator and smiled at her mother.

“We were on a little adventure, sorry,” She blushed, glancing at Milton as he put his paper crown on. He wore it all the time. Becky chuckled and watched him disappear out the door behind her.

“That’s alright, I hope you all had fun,” She kissed her daughter’s head. “Let’s go have dinner.”

Milton recounted the events of their adventure at the dinner table, illustrating Noel’s heroic acts and the long-gone members of their family helping them along the way. At the dinner table that night, Noel felt like she’d been a part of the Finch family her whole life. The members of the family listened with great detail to the story, and Edie even promised to try and paint something depicting their heroic acts, even in her old age.

Three weeks later, a small canvas with Noel, Ethan, and the Hook Handed Man depicted on it appeared in the hallway. Noel’s pen was halfway across the room, in midair. She smiled and took a picture of it. That was a story to remember.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Shameless self promo time! 
> 
> My blog: @thegalwhoreallylikesmusicals  
> Kat's blog: @just-a-side-kick  
> The joint incorrect quotes blog: @incorrect-foundfamily


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